Teachers & Staff

Meet our teachers and staff and see what makes Wilkinson special.

Our Teachers

Katie Marquis

Teacher, Pre-K & Kindergarten

Katie Marquis grew up in Southern California near Venice beach, where she spent her time swimming and life guarding. She attended Humboldt State University where she fell in love with nature. After college, she moved to Half Moon Bay and began working at Wilkinson School.

She began as an after school teacher and went on to become the kindergarten teacher. Katie has been on the Wilkinson staff for 11 years. While working at Wilkinson, Katie fell in love with roller skating and began playing competitive roller derby. She took a teaching hiatus for a few years and played roller derby all over the world, everywhere from Paris to Montreal. She loves to inspire children to find their passion just as she found hers.

When Katie is not teaching you can find her shopping at the farmers market or on her skates at the skatepark. She also loves reading a good book and snuggling her cat.

Jessica Giovannoni

Teacher, 1st & 2nd Grade

Jessica Giovannoni is our 2nd & 3rd Grade Teacher at Wilkinson School, and she has a creative style of teaching academics, helping students express themselves, build self-esteem, and develop a respect for themselves, others, and the environment.

She has a genuine love of young children and knew from an early age that she would most likely become a teacher. She enjoys introducing students to plant and animal life through various activities and encourages children to lead a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle.

Jessica was born in San Francisco and raised primarily in the nearby town of Pacifica, California. She began her education at the age of three at the Children’s School in Park Pacifica. She later went back to volunteer at the school as a sixth grader and ultimately began her career there in early education at the age of 22. She graduated from St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco and later the University of San Francisco. Jessica taught young children in both Pacifica and Millbrae for nine years before becoming the kindergarten teacher at St. Cornelius School in Richmond, California. She left the St. Cornelius community after five years to have her baby girl and then joined the Wilkinson staff.

Jessica lives in Moss Beach with her 4-year-old daughter, Emma, whom she adores. You will often see Miss Jessica out and about taking Emma on bike or scooter rides down to the marine reserve nearby. In her free time, she loves visiting her extended family in Hawaii and enjoying outdoor activities, especially water skiing and snow skiing.

Tiffany McClellan

Teacher, 3rd & 4th Grade

Tiffany is originally from the Sacramento area. She served as an Electronics Technician in the Air Force in her early twenties, where she had the opportunity to live in Mississippi, Maryland, Italy, and South Korea.

Mattie Adam

Teacher, 5th-8th Grade

Coming soon!

Addie Bell

Teacher, Art

Addie is originally from Arlington, Virginia and is passionate about sharing the arts with students.

Addie is originally from Arlington, Virginia. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Graphic Design and continued studying at the Academy of Arts in San Francisco, graduating with a MFA in Web Design and New Media. She loves all things art and her spare time is filled with drawing, painting, sewing, quilting, printmaking, knitting, playing music and anything else that seems fun!

Norma Acosta

Narnia: After School Manager and Teaching Assistant

Norma Acosta leads our extensive afterschool program and is the teaching assistant for the kindergarten program. She began working as our preschool teacher more than a decade ago in the Early Childhood Center. Later she became the teaching assistant in kindergarten.

Norma has a deep affection for children, which shows in the relationships she has with her students. She feels it is important to teach little ones basic life skills so they can thrive.

Originally from Alisco, Mexico, she then moved to Half Moon Bay, where she started an in-home daycare. Norma is happily married and has two children, Angie and Diego. She refers to them as her sun and moon. Her favorite pastimes are listening to instrumental music and cooking with her kids.

Valerie Kern

Teaching Assistant

Valerie spends her time in the classroom helping Ms. Jessica with 1st and 2nd grade! She brings warmth and knowledge to all of their projects and courses.

Valerie grew up on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland which inspired her love of environmental sciences and inspiring others to love them too. She attended The University of Chicago and Indiana University studying climate change and had the opportunity to participate in a number of amazing geology field courses. She went on to earn a PhD in microbiology and moved to CA as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University. After a career hiatus to raise her family, she has embarked upon a new learning journey into education. As an active volunteer within a number of youth organizations, she is inspired by the natural curiosity and energy of young learners and seeks a role in nurturing their entrèe into scientific inquiry.

When not at Wilkinson, Valerie is likely out and about the coastside with her three sons or flipping through a cookbook in a hopeless attempt to improve her cooking skills.

Our Staff

Kristin Simons

Head of School

Kristin is originally from the Bay Area and received her Bachelor’s in Special Education and Psychology from Gonzaga University in Spokane. After college, she lived in Alaska as a Jesuit volunteer. She received her Masters in Education from SNHU in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on the LD Learner.

Kristin has enjoyed working with students with learning differences since 2004 and created a blog called Demystify Dyslexia to support families with understanding LD. She has taught at Charles Armstrong School and eventually started a private practice working one on one with students with dyslexia.

While in Juneau, AK she met her husband, and they moved to San Francisco in 2004. They now have two children. When she is not teaching you might find her on a spin bike at the Y or hiking in the woods. My family loves to camp, mountain bike, ski, and travel in the summer. She loves working at Wilkinson and is happy to be part of this special community!

Dunia Hamou

Operations Lead

Dunia moved to the Bay Area in 2016 from what is currently London, Ontario, which should be acknowledged as the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Attawandaron, and Wendat peoples. She is passionate about social justice issues, community organizing, and empowering women and girls to claim their space. Dunia is a firm believer that “you are personally responsible for becoming more ethical than the society you grew up in” and finds there are opportunities for growth every day.

Dunia’s work experience and expertise range from operations, research and analysis to community education and engagement.

Dunia was most drawn to Wilkinson’s traditional practice of community-driven learning and place-based learning. Dunia joined the team post-pandemic at the end of March 2020 and is committed to creating a safe and enjoyable space for all Wilkinson students. Dunia is excited to kick off what is sure to be a memorable school year and catch any curve balls thrown our way. Dunia lives in San Mateo and loves that her drive to work includes Ocean, Mountains and Clouds (and that she sometimes gets to touch all 3 in one day).

Katherine Taggart

Communications & Programs Lead & Teacher, Garden Science

Katherine Taggart graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Food Systems and a minor in Communications. She is so looking forward to connecting with our parents and families! When she isn't in the office, you can find her in the garden as our Garden Teacher!

IKatherine recently moved to the Bay Area and since growing up in New England, she is excited to spend time on the west coast! She previously taught forest preschool in Vermont, and cooking and nutrition classes to high school students in DownEast Maine. She is excited to rebuild the Wilkinson School garden and form sustainable communicative relationships with all! She has also coordinated events and donor development for non-profits, along with logistics and communications for small, sustainable businesses. Katherine brings a passion for educating children and a warmth to engage the community. She is so excited to spend time in her outdoor classroom!

Our Teachers Set Us Apart

Great teachers come to Wilkinson because we value them. Our small class size lets teachers reach students as the unique, individual learners they are.

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